"Xstat," a new invention from Oregon-based startup RevMedx, may be the newest and most efficient way to seal up gunshot wounds. The spongy substance seals wounds in 15 seconds, which is far more productive for military field medics who have been packing wounds with a thick layer of gauze.
The spongy material is delivered through a modified syringe and expands to pack the wound and stop bleeding by applying pressure. U.S. Army Special Operations medic John Steinbaugh revealed to Popular Science that veterans, engineers, and researchers working at RevMedx were inspired by Fix-a-Flat, the tire repair kit.
"That's what we pictured as the perfect solution — something you could spray in, it would expand and bleeding stops.But we found that blood pressure is so high, blood would wash the foam right out."
It was after injecting 1-inch cut up sponge pieces into an animal wound that the team realized what would actually work, with Steinbaugh adding, "Our eyes lit up. We knew we were onto something."
After getting a $5 million grant from The Army, the team took Xstat from prototype to final development, and they are happy to report that testing is proven to be stellar. Each single use Xstat applicator currently retails for $100, but as demand goes up, RevMedx looks for the price to go down.
Source: washingtontimes.com
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